Another reason why libraries are great

Another reason why libraries are great

Everyone knows the main reasons why libraries are great. You get to read books for free. It is the only place left in our world where you can exist - I mean loiter - without the expectation of spending money. Sharing knowledge to upskill yourself, or your community.

But I have one more reason I want to share: It makes choosing books much lower risk. Here me out

If you are buying a book, they cost what $30AUD these days, so if you spent money on this thing, you probably want to enjoy it. In fact, you will probably be annoyed if you spent that money and didn't enjoy it. This will factor into your decision making.

None of this is the case when you are in the library. Do you know anything about algea? No? Pick up a book. If you don't like it, you can return it. You don't even need to finish the book if you don't like it. (Brief aside, Bloom by Ruth Kassinger is a GREAT book about algea.)

And once you realise this, it’s kind of thrilling. The whole idea that you don’t need to finish a book just because you started it — that alone is liberating. Reading becomes less like committing to a project and more like wandering through a field and picking up interesting rocks.

These days I get to go to the library, I go in with barely any plan. I walk around until I spot some topic I don't know anything about and pick it up. Totally risk free!

I like libraries, and I think you should to. If you want to here an actualy librarian talk about librarian stuff, read this blog by (dr) Molly Tov.

Update: the excellent Dr Molly Tov, "yes and-ed" me in this blogpost. It is a good read, that you should check out.